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Real-Time Logic (RTL) has added a PHP-like scripting language to its http daemon for embedded, real-time monitoring and control applications. The Barracuda web server's “Lua Server Pages” (LSP) technology is described as a lighter, faster, more modular alternative to PHP.

RTL first ported Barracuda to Linux about a year ago, touting the daemon's ability to support session-based client updates without polling, through technologies such as AJAX (asynchronous Javascript and XML-RPC). At that time, Barracuda could serve dynamic content through CSP, a technology that let programmers embed actual C and C++ code within their web pages.

RTL says that LSP code is relatively easy to write, since the language uses the familiar ?lsp ... ? construct to embed statements within HTML files. LSP is available as an optional plug-in for Barracuda.

Touted benefits include:

Faster than PHP

Handles multiple concurrent requests

LSP pages can be maintained with commonly available HTML/XML tools

Few dependencies (ANSI C runtime library, mainly)

“Unobtrusive” API

Small binary footprint

Readable/modifiable source code

Straightforward license for embedding

Additionally, for highly resource-constrained devices, the “larger part” of the Lua core can be removed, including the lexer, parser, and code generator, leaving a “fully functional” Lua server, albeit one that can only run pre-compiled programs, RTL says.

Availability

Lua appears to be available now, both for device licensing, and as part of RTL's “BarracudaDrive” download, aimed at providing home PC users with a way to remotely access and manage their files.